Electric time-switch.



G. LTHI. ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.' APPLICATION FILED DB0. 17, 1907.

952,123, Patented Maf. 15,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. LTHI.

ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.1'7, 1907.

952,123. Patented Mar.15,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2a" f2 f ,21 2 32 w 37 Hz iff- Fui @FFQE GOTTLIEB LTHI, OF SIGNAU, SWITZERLAND.

ELECTRIC TIME-SWITCH.

Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

serial No. acceso.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lrnown that I, GOTTLIEB LTHI, a subject of the Swiss Confederation, residing at Signau, Canton Berne, in Switzerland, have invented a certain new and useful Self-cting Electric Time-Switch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric time switches.

The object of the invention is to provide a switch which may be adjusted automatic ally in order to provide for the necessary change in the time schedule at different seasons of the year, and which consists in the novel construction by means of which the position of a contact device is adjusted with reference to a contact roller operated by a clock-work mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line lfb-P) of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line C-D of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the roller contact. Fig. 7 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the end opposite to that shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a detail view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 and 2 indicate the sides of the frame-work which support the contact roller 3, and the several shafts carrying the gear wheels mentioned below. The contact roller 3 is provided with a shaft 4, and with a body portion formed partly of insulating material 5, and a metallic portion 6. Metal strips 11 and 12 run lengthwise of thc roller and are inclined toward each other, these strips being located on opposite portions of the roller, as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and S. The strip 11 is insulated, by reason of the adjacent offset portion from the edge 6, of the plate 6, and the strip 12 is insulated from the edge 6 of said plate, the strip last mentioned having connection with the sleeve 14 on the shaft 4, by means of a vshoe 13. An offset portion is also provided next to strip 12, as shown in Figs. 6 and S. Strip 6 (wider at one end than at the other, the edges thereof extending in a direction parallel with the edges of the strips 11 and l2) connects with a sleeve 7 and the latter is engaged by brushes or rubbing rings 9, supported in the holding device 8, which latter is in electrical connection with binding post 10 and through the wire 1S with the magnets 16 and 17. The contact arm 15 is in contact with sleeve 14, mounted on an upright 15, and wire 18 completes the circuit through the magnets 16 and 17. An armature 21 is pivotally mounted on rock shaft 22, and a weight 21 serves to hold the armature out of contact with the magnets when the latter are free from current. An arm 23 on one end of the shaft 22 carries a catch or pawl 20, set screws 24 and 25 serving to regulate the degree of oscillation of the armature, and a ratchet wheel 19 on the shaft- 4 is engaged by said pawl 20. rlhe wheel 19 carries a pin 19, by means of which motion is imparted to the shaft 4 by suitable clock-work mechanism not shown. One full rotation is thereby imparted to shaft 4 in each 24 hours.

The switch is connected in series with the body consuming the current. The current enters at the binding screw 10, Hows through the contact springs or brushes 9 to the ring 7, from this ring to the contact piece 6 of the cylinder 3, from the latter through the contact 26 as long as it is in touch with the contact piece 6, through the screw spindle 27 and plate 2, to the binding screw 60, and thence to the motor, lamps, or the like, and through the same back to its source. The direction of the current may be reversed, if desired. The contact piece 6 being broader at one end than at the other, members 6 and 26 will remain in contact for varying periods,according to the position of contact 26 with reference to the ends of member 6, thus providing for an increase or decrease in the length of the lighting period for successive days. The contact 26 moves during one half year from one end of the cylinder 3 to the other, and at the conclusion of this period the reversing device described below causes it to move back again.

The metal strips 11 and 12, insulated from the metallic member 6, are for the purpose of preventing the edges 6 and 6 of such member from becoming damaged-by the current, as the edges pass the rubbing contact 26. The strip 11 is attached to the no conductive connection with the member 6, but serves only the purpose of forming a sharp edge projecting over said member 6 by means of which the contact 26, after leaving this edge, can fall at once on the contact 6 and so form an instantaneous connection,

insulated part 5 of the cylinder 3, and hasl which obviates any injurious heating of the edge 6 of member 6. The strip l0 serves the following purpose: Owing to the slow movement of the cylinder 3, there would be a position in which the conta t 2G would for a certain length of time have only slight connection with the edge C of the contact 6, (Fig. 8), therefore a great resistance would be caused until the contact 26 falls on the insulated part of the cylinder 3 (Fig. 7), which would cause injurious heating of the edge G. To obviate this, a strip 12 is ai ranged along the contact piece G. The same is insulated from the cylinder 3, and also from the contact 6, but is conductively connected by means of the contact ring` 1li and contact 15 with the spools of the magnets 16 and 17 and binding screw 10. Villien the contact 2G reaches the edge G of the member 6 it passes over to strip 12, and as the resist ance between the edge (3 and the contactincreases, the resistance between the said contact and strip decreases. The intensity of the current on the edge t3 therefore decreases, and increases on strip 12. rlhe result is that the current changes its course and instead of flowing from binding screw 10 through brush 9, contact ring 7, contact 6, to 26, it will flow from binding screw 10 through the coils of the magnets 1G and 1T, contact 15, ring 14C, strip 12 and contact 2G. The magnets 1G and 17 become energized and 'the armature 21 carrying weight 21 attracted. This causes the cylinder 3 to receiVe a momentary forward movement from the large wheel 19 actuated by the pawl 20, and lever Q3, and thus helps the contact QG over the critical place, as the same falls instantaneously upon the insulated part 5 of the cylinder 8, and is then quickly disconnected, and a burning of edge t3 and con tact 2G is obviated. rthe additional partial rotation described places the pin 19 slightly in advance of the corresponding engaging device carried by the clock mechanism. lVhen a brief space of time has elapsed the said engaging device will again come into mechanical contact with pin 19 and the roller 3 again begins to revolve. lt will be observed that this interval occurs while the contact 2G is resting on the insulated pa 1t 5 of the roller 3.

The rubbing contact 2G, is held by a weight 2G in Contact with the roller 3, and may be placed by means not shown in electrical connection with the second binding post GO of the time switch secured to meniber 2, by means of a member 31 should this connection be preferred in lieu of the connection through worm shaft 27, blade 2 and member 61. lThe contact 2G is provided with an arm having an internally threaded member 26, which operates on a wom shaft 27.

In the members 1 and 2 of the frame work, shafts Q8, 29 and 30 are journaled, the latter having mounted thereon a gear wheel 31, which is constantly in gear with wheel 32, which turns with the worm shaft 2T, Fig. Gear wheels 33 and Sil, Fig. ll, mounted respectively on shafts Qt) and QS are constantly in gear with each other7 and shaft 28 is rotated by gear 35 on shaft il, l? ig. Q, which gear 35 meshes with gear Si. The shaft 30 is movable longitudinally, and gear 3G thereon meshes either with gear or gear 81 according `to the position of the shaft 80. its gears 33 and 3l revolve in opposite directions, the direction of the rotation of gear 3G may be changed by sliding shaft 30 longitudinally. rllhis change in the direction of the rotation is eonn'iiunieated through pinion 31 on shaft 30 to gear and worm shaft 23T in the following manner: tear it) on shaft 2T (Figs. 1 and Q) iniparts motion through gear 71 to gear 7i, and rthus to shaft 3T carrying worm 38. The worm S8 meshes with gear 39 loosely mounted on shaft 10, the latter carrying a weighted arr 11. A member y-iet on the opposite end of shaft l() is provided with arms and elli. as shown in Fig. l, and the disk 45 on shaft El() operates between said arms. rEhe collar (ttl, also on shaft L t-O, carries arms liti and -1-7, and on shaft l.) arms 50 and 51 are mounted, said arms being adapted to engage annular recesses 52 and 53 in shaft 30, these recesses beine' so disposed that when recess 52 for instance is engaged by arm 5t), recess 5:3 is out of engagement with arm 1. This relation is reversed when shaft BO has been shifted longitudinally. The arms and 51 are weighted, as shown, and ams and 55 project from the opposite ends of the arms into the plane of oscillation of arms and 17. Half of the collar 239 of the so wheel is cut out shown in Figs. 5 and t), and by rotation of the shaft it), screw 55 mounted thereon may be moved in the notch thus formed and caused to eiigage the edge of this offset portion. The gears between worm shaft 2i' and worm shaft 37 are so arranged that by the movement of the member 2b' from one end position to the other, the wheel 30 is turned through the angle iitBC, liig. 9. Assume with reference to lfiez 9 that the lever l1 is at the eXtrem/e lett, at l, and with reference to Fig. 3 that the member 2G is at the left hand end of the shaft 2T. lf the member 26 is new brought to the right, the lever i1, on account of the ievolution of the wheel 39, will move from the position l. into the position lll, Fig. t), and as the lever has already been moved beyond the vertical middle a; s, it will then move over automatically until it is brought, into position lli, by reason of the weight connected therewith. it this moment the screw 5G is in the position shown in dotted As a result, the shaft 8O lines in Fig. 9.

llt)

has been shifted longitudinally by the arm 42 on the shaft 40, and placed in contact with the disk 45, so that the collar on the wheel 36 is now close to the member l-that is, the wheel 36 has been placed out of gear with the wheel 33 and into gear with the wheel 34, in order that the shaft 30 may now be rotated in the opposite direction, causing the wheel 39 to turn in a reverse direction through the angle ABG. In the meantime, the shaft 30, the lever 41 and other parts connected to the shaft 40 are moved back into the starting position. Therefore, the extreme positions of the lever 4l are determined by the measure of the displacement of the shaft 30. Prior to this movement of the shaft 30 one of the arms 46 or 47 strikes cam 54 or cam 55 connected with the arm 50 or 5l, and one of said arms 50 or 5l disengages its corresponding annular recess in shaft 80, for releasingthe shaft and permitting such longitudinal displacement.

Above the worm shaft 27, is a scale 63, connected with the members l and 2-of the framework and above this scale is an index needle, which is affixed to the contact 26, and therefore movable as the shaft 27 rotates. Roman numerals indicate the months of the year, each month being divided into thirds, representing a period of ten days. Means for regulating the de vice are thus afforded.

I claiml. In an electric time switch, a rotatable contact member having a tapering contact surface the edges of which are inclined toward each other, and means for making electrical contact with said member.

In an electric time switch, a rotatable contact member having a contact surface, the edges of which are inclined toward each other, a. contact device arranged at an angle to the axis of rotation.

In an electric time switch, a rotatable time controlled contact member substantially cylindrical in form and provided with contact and insulating surfaces, strips of conducting material arranged at the edges of the insulating surfaces, and insulated from the main contact surface, and a second contact member adapted to be placed in electrical contact with the member first mentioned.

4. In an electric time switch, a rotatable time controlled contact member provided with contact and insulating surfaces, and with off-set portions adjacent to the edges of the insulated surface, a strip of conducting material along the edge of one ol-set portion, and the insulated surface, and out of contact with the main contact surface, and a second contact member arranged to be placed in electrical contact with the member first mentioned.

5. In an electric time switch, a movable time controlled contact member, a second contact member arranged to be placed in circuit therewith, a worm shaft, a device on the second member actuated by the worm shaft for driving such member, a rotatable and longitudinally movable shaft for transmitting motion to the worm shaft, a third shaft, a device thereon for shifting the longitudinally movable shaft, and means for rotating said third shaft.

G. In an electric time switch, a movable time controlled contact member, a second contactmember arranged to be placed in circuit therewith, a worm shaft, a device on the second member actuated by the worm shaft for driving said member, a rotatable and longitudinally movable shaft for transmitting motion to the worm shaft, a third shaft, a worm wheel carried by the third shaft, a worm shaft for operating said worm wheel, means for driving the worm shaft last mentioned, and mechanism operated by the .worm wheel for controlling operation of the longitudinally movable shaft.

7. In an electric time switch, a movable time controlled contact member, a second contact member arranged to be placed in circuit therewith, a worm shaft, a device on the second member actuated by the worm shaft for driving said member, a rotatable and longitudinally movable shaft for transmitting motion to the worm shaft, a third shaft, a worm wheel carried by the third shaft, a worm shaft for operating said worm wheel, means for driving the worm shaft last mentioned, mechanism operated by the worm wheel for controlling the operation of the longitudinally movable shaft, and an arm for locking such longitudinally movable shaft.

8. In an electric time switch, a movable time controlled contact member, a second contact member arranged to be placed in circuit therewith, a worm shaft, a device on the second member actuated by the worm shaft for driving said member, a rotatable and longitudinally movable shaft for transmitting motion to the worm shaft, a third shaft, a weighted arm carried thereby, a worm wheel also carried by the third shaft, a worm shaft for operating such wheel, means for driving the worm shaft last me tioned, and mechanism operated by the worm wheel for controlling the operation of the longitudinally movable shaft.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ooTTLrEB LTHI.

TWitnesses I-I. BLUM, A. LIEBERKNECHT. 

